Thursday, August 09, 2012

Justice Katju's unjustified pronouncements

Press Council of India and its Chairman are expected to regulate the functioning of the fourth estate. It is not in the ambit of their role to direct the press what to report and what not to report. They are not supposed to micro-manage the press to the extent of advising the journalists not to be swayed by "emotion". If Indian press of the forties had abstained from "emotional reporting" of our freedom struggle, the British would have been happy. Journalists have a mind of their own; if journos remain clinically objective in reporting events, newspapers would lose readership.

Justice Katju laments that the press became a part of the Anna movement. What is wrong in becoming a part of an anti-corruption movement? Is it unlawful? Should every newspaper echo Katju's views only?

Katju has gone overboard in in criticising Anna's plans to contest elections. Since when did the Press Council of India become an electoral authority? Katju's statement that JanLokpal would only result in doubling of incidence of corruption evokes continuous laughter.